Surrey looked bubbly enough in their preparations at Lord's yesterday despite the shattering defeat by Nottinghamshire in the other knockout competition in midweek and the fact that their Australian coach, David Gilbert, has still not made up his mind whether to accept a new two-year contract.

It is the eighth mid-season final involving Kent, only Surrey's fourth, but both have so far lost more finals than they have won and both, even in recent times, have been known to have the kind of collective bad day which deflates the expectations of supporters and renders the whole event an anti-climax. The rapid fall of early wickets is what usually creates a one-sided final but on a true pitch in the middle of summer it should not happen, even against bowling attacks of the quality which will be on display today. Kent have four Test bowlers and a fifth in Matthew Fleming who has just been chosen to represent England as a one-day specialist in the Hong Kong Sixes, Surrey have five Test bowlers and two with one-day international experience in the Hollioake brothers.

Between them indeed Surrey, with Alastair Brown and Adam and Ben Hollioake, and Kent, with Fleming and Mark Ealham, contribute five of seven limited-overs specialists picked for Hong Kong and all will aspire to be in England's eleven for the opening match of the World Cup at Lord's two seasons hence. It would do Adam Hollioake's chances of leading England then no harm if Surrey were to win today.

The match may hang on the performance of the flair players, especially Fleming for Kent and Brown and the Hollioakes for Surrey. The brothers have happy memories of the only time they played together at Lord's. Ben's performance in the match which completed a clean sweep of the one-day internationals was precocious and mature. He will go in third again today if Brown should be out quickly as he attempts to take the match by storm.

Surrey may be favourites on paper but Kent should win on form. They are second in the Sunday League and until Middlesex knocked them out of the NatWest and Graham Cowdrey pulled a leg muscle they were looking almost unbeatable, despite missing the match-winning batting of their former overseas players, Carl Hooper and Aravinda de Silva. They are shrewdly led from behind the stumps by Steve Marsh but they are also bottom-heavy.

Their opening attack of Dean Headley and Martin McCague has ideal back-up in Ealham, Fleming and the gifted leg-spinning all-rounder, Paul Strang. Someone will want Strang next year if Kent are committed to Hooper, and today gives him the ideal shop window. Kent's bowling strength was emphasised by the fact that Julian Thompson and Alan Igglesden are in a 14 strong enough to exclude Ben Phillips.

The longer the form of the game, the more vulnerable Kent are in view of their relatively modest top-order batting, but under this year's 50-over regulations, whereby only two men are allowed outside the circle for the first 15 overs, they have a dangerous pair of strikers in Fleming and Matthew Walker and they were relieved to declare Cowdrey fit yesterday. Their own three Ws - Ward, Walker and Wells - have tended to get out when set this season so the key to winning today may be for one of them to play the big innings. It is time for Trevor Ward to show he can do it, but all Kent will have to beware Martin Bicknell's ability to swing the new ball.

Surrey also milk the first 15 overs if they can, with Alec Stewart and Brown capable of outrageous brilliance on the sort of dry, true pitch which today's appears to be.

David Gilbert was disappointed when not appointed to the vacant job as coach to his native New South Wales two months ago, a chance he would have taken mainly for the sake of his young family, but feels that he still has much to contribute if the improvements evident last year at Surrey are to be maintained. Losing Stewart, Graham Thorpe, Mark Butcher and, earlier in the season, Adam Hollioake, has not helped but if it all came together today the chances are that he would announce his intention to stay at the Oval.

Kent (probable): M J Walker, M V Fleming, T R Ward, A P Wells, G R Cowdrey, N J Llong, M A Ealham, P A Strang, S A Marsh, M J McCague, D W Headley.

Surrey (probable): A D Brown, A J Stewart, B C Hollioake, G P Thorpe, A J Hollioake, M A Butcher, J D Ratcliffe, C C Lewis, I D K Salisbury, Saqlain Mushtaq, M P Bicknell.

Umpires: D Shepherd & G Sharp.

THE ROUTE TO THE FINAL

KENT

(Group C winners)

v Surrey (Oval) won by 4 wkts

v Hants (Canterbury) won by 2 wkts

v Sussex (Canterbury) won by 6 wkts

v British Univs (Canterbury) won by 4 wkts

v Gloucs (Bristol) no result

Quarter-final

v Warwicks (Canterbury) won by 4 wkts

Semi-final

v Northants (Canterbury) won by 66 runs

Kent have won the cup three times - 1973, 1976, 1978 - and were runners-up in 1977, 1986, 1992 and 1995.

SURREY

(Group C runners-up)

v Kent (Oval) lost by 4 wkts

v Gloucs (Bristol) won by 3 wkts

v British Univs (Oval) won by 6 wkts

v Hants (Southampton) won by 165 runs

v Sussex (Oval) won by 11 runs

Quarter-final

v Essex (Chelmsford) won by 6 wkts

Semi-final

v Leics (Oval) won by 130 runs

Surrey won the cup in 1974 and were runners-up in 1979 and 1981.

Previous meetings: Of 16 games, Kent have won 10, Surrey six. The sides have not met in a final but Kent won their semi-final games in 1976 and 1992.

FINALISTS' RECORDS

KENT

Highest total for: 338-4 (v Somerset).

Highest total against: 308-5 (Worcs).

Lowest total for: 73 (v Middlesex).

Lowest total against: 67 (Minor Counties).

Highest score for: 143 C J Tavare (v Somerset).

Highest score against: 137* B C Rose (Somerset).

Best bowling for: 6-41 T N Wren (v Somerset).

Best bowling against: 5-23 S T Clarke (Surrey).

SURREY

Highest total for: 333-6 (v Hants).

Highest total against: 318-8 (Kent).

Lowest total for: 89 (v Notts).

Lowest total against: 80 (Ireland).

Highest score for: 167* A J Stewart (v Somerset).

Highest score against: 137* R J Cunliffe (Gloucs).

Best bowling for: 5-15 S G Kenlock (v Ireland).

Best bowling against: 6-25 S J Renshaw (Hants).

FINAL RECORDS

Highest score: 290-5 (Essex v Surrey 1979).

Lowest score: 117 (Derbyshire v Hampshire 1988).

Biggest victories: Lancs bt Worcs by 69 runs, 1990; Somerset bt Notts by 9 wkts, 1982.

Best innings: 132* (I V Richards, Somerset v Surrey 1981).

Best bowling: 5-13 (S T Jefferies, Hants v Derbys 1988).

Compiled by FRANK WHEELDON